Movie Quest 2005

The 10 films that are inspiring us to travel--and how you can re-create the best moments yourself

Anticipating interest in Kyoto as a result of the movie, Kintetsu International has created a package covering airfare from New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles on American Airlines, five nights at the New Miyako Hotel, transfers, and tours of various landmarks, including Kiyomizu temple. Rates start at $1,229 (800/422-3481, japanforyou.com).

2. Pride & Prejudice

With apologies to Keira Knightley, the real estate steals the show

A ridiculously reductive plot summary: Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley), whose family could use some good fortune, takes what seems like forever to get over her negative first impressions of the very wealthy Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). The pleasure of watching Lizzie and Darcy realize they're right for each other is mitigated only by the nagging awareness that you'll never marry so well.

Of the eight historic buildings used in Pride & Prejudice, two make a deeper impression. "We were in the most beautiful houses in England," says location manager Adam Richards, sighing. "Chatsworth and Burghley."

Chatsworth stands in for Pemberley, Darcy's palatial estate--and in fact, the 16th-century Chatsworth was rumored to be Austen's inspiration for Pemberley. It's the seat of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and a three-hour drive from London (two hours by rail; a one-way ticket to Chesterfield, 11 miles from Chatsworth, starts at $11). Chatsworth's size is staggering: There are 297 rooms in the main house (one-third are accessible; you wander at your own pace), 105 acres of formal gardens (including a hedge maze made with 1,200 yew trees), and 1,000 acres of parkland (011-44/1246-565300, chatsworth-house.co.uk, $17 for house and garden). Note: Chatsworth is closed December 21-March 15.

While Lizzie was unfazed by her first encounter with Darcy's snobby aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Judi Dench), anyone else would be cowed simply by laying eyes on Burghley ("Rosings" in P&P). The house was constructed between 1555 and 1587 by Sir William Cecil, Lord Treasurer for Queen Elizabeth I. Subsequent members of the Cecil family filled the house with objets d'art from their travels. "The paintings are just stunning," reports Richards. Particularly notable are the Heaven Room and the Hell Staircase, painted by Antonio Verrio. "The Heaven Room is where the drawing room scene was shot, and the Hell Staircase leads off that room. It's a big double staircase painted with images of hell." Burghley is a mile from the village of Stamford (see below). The house is open April 1-- October 29 (011-44/1780-752451, burghley.co.uk; $16, kids $7).

The Lincolnshire town of Stamford, a two-hour drive from London, subbed for Austen's village of Meryton. "We chose Stamford because there were no trees," says producer Paul Webster. "When you look at any drawings of market towns"--back in the time when Austen's novel is set--"there's no greenery." Webster recommends a pair of establishments in Stamford: a hotel called the George (011-44/1780-750700, georgehotelofstamford.com, doubles from $204, includes breakfast) and the Crown Inn, a pub (011-44/ 1780-763362). "They're funky but not stuffy," he says.

Visit Britain, the British tourism organization, is distributing a map of the locations (from the film version and the much-loved 1995 BBC adaptation), and has loaded visitbritain.com with film-related information. Likewise, the East Midlands region, which is home to Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, and the Peak District, where most of P&P was shot, created its own website, visitprideandprejudice.com.

Finally, Austen aficionados won't want to leave England without stopping at two attractions: the Jane Austen Centre, in Bath (011-44/1225-443000, janeausten.co.uk, $10.50), and Jane Austen's House and Museum, in the village of Chawton, a mile from Alton, which is only a half-hour train ride from London (011-44/1420-83262, jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk, $8). The former explores Austen's time in Bath; the latter is the house where she lived from 1809 to 1817--and where she finished Pride & Prejudice.